This content was provided by Impelsys.
The boom in e-books is undeniable. According to PWC, consumer and educational e-books will account for 22% of all books sold globally, increasing from 9% in 2012. Publishers and learning organizations are adapting to the growing needs of their e-book patrons.
As a special group, association and society publishers are using e-books to expand services to their professional members. What trends do we see in this market? Three come to mind:
1. Integration of learning management systems with content management systems. This development is particularly important for organizations that currently provide certification or credentialing for professionals, or that want to explore the emerging interface between instructional systems and e-content.
Many association and society publishers are successfully adapting to this dynamic shift by incorporating innovative technology. Publishers can build a portal based on their educational missions. This can help them easily manage the complex content and online learning requirements of their members. Through the portal, patrons can also customize pages based on their content interests at a chapter or title level, personalize their content by putting together content from different books and journals, and even take tests online.
2. Continued experimentation with different business models, especially e-book subscription models that allow members to access resources for one annual subscription price. There are several platforms that can be used to create branded e-bookstores to help publishers warehouse, deliver, distribute, market, and sell their e-books to readers. A few platforms also sell e-content directly to institutes, libraries, hospitals, and clinics, further adding to the association’s non-dues revenue.
3. Greater interest in rich content for enhanced presentations, interactivity, and greater functionality, especially in areas of science with complex graphical and mathematical requirements. E-books with rich visual media, enhanced TOCs, and learning paths offer a highly effective, enhanced learning experience with reduced cognitive strain. Rich content, at the same time, ensures higher degrees of content engagement. Coupled with analytics, these features can help publishers shape their marketing decisions and improve digital content profitability.
It is important for association and society publishers to find the right technology partner who can offer solutions to leverage technology in their content. Over the years, Impelsys has accumulated rich experience and immense domain expertise to effectively solve the complex content requirements of publishers. iPublishCentral, our SaaS-based e-book delivery infrastructure platform and KnowledgePlatform, our customized content portal solution – are testimony to the fact that our solutions are aptly poised to cater to the dynamic technological advancements and changing reading behaviors.
Meet Impelsys team at Book Expo America 2014 Booth # DZ2066, Digital Discovery Zone, Javits Center, New York or email us at marketing@impelsys.com to know more.